Mothers say that holding their baby for the first time after giving birth takes all the pain that they went through go away. In a world where information can be retrieved almost anywhere, facts and myths about pregnancy and childbirth often get tangled. Mothers who are pregnant for the first time get to read misconstrued information that may make giving birth to a human being scary. You may have heard about some information about a urethral catheter, an epidural or the excruciating pain that child birth brings. However, you also have to know which information are facts and which ones are myths.
Here are a few myths and facts about childbirth:
Childbirth on TV
What scares most women who are going into childbirth are the hospital scenes on television that often deal with running around the hospital, screaming and sweating for hours, and sometimes even fainting. While some women do experience these, childbirth is pretty straightforward for most women. Of course, you will be sweating and screaming at the peak of your labor and while you are delivering your child, but generally, childbirth in real life is far from all the drama that you see on TV.
Labor is always painful
This is not true for every woman. Of course, there will be a point where you know that you are in labor, but in some cases, women don’t even notice when they are beginning labor. Some women experience mild contractions that may not even be a nuisance. The contractions can even last for several days without bringing you pain until you are ready to go to the hospital and give birth. Furthermore, women who have already given birth before may be dilated without even knowing it.
No eating before childbirth
This information is not always true for all hospitals. However, for majority of places, pregnant women are not allowed to eat and are given only ice chips or limited amounts of water. The reason behind this is that doctors must prepare your body in case an emergency C-section is needed. If food is ingested, and you are under general anesthesia, doctors wouldn’t want you to aspirate and get food into the airways. Besides, doctors say that most women who are ready to give birth don’t think about food.
Your water always breaks
Some women tend to wait for their water to break before they go to the hospital, but this does not always happen. There are instances where the amniotic fluid doesn’t come out. If you are having regular and strong contractions, but your water isn’t breaking, it’s time to go to the hospital. In cases like this one, the doctors will be the one to break your water, so you shouldn’t always wait for your water to break.
These are some of the myths and truths about pregnancy and childbirth. Of course, every experience is different for every woman, but you have to know which ones are true. If you get the proper information from your doctor, you will have peace of mind knowing that some the things that you read online are not always true.
